Tembec Forest Products Group has been awarded Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certfication for its forestland in Quebec, bringing its total certified acreage in Canada to 13 million acres.
This is the first public forest in Quebec to be awarded certification under the rigorous Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards for Canadian boreal forests.
Tembec received its certification from SmartWood, a Forest Stewardship Council accredited certifier, following an in-depth audit process that found that its forest management practices conformed to FSC’s rigorous standards for environmentally and socially responsible forestry practices.
“Today is a very good day for Quebec’s forests,” said James Lopez, President of the Tembec Forest Products Group. “This is the first time that a large area of Quebec public forest has achieved FSC certification. Not only is this certification the most prestigious in the world, it is also the most difficult to achieve. Our goal is to have all our Canadian forestry operations FSC-certified. So far, we have achieved 42 per cent of this goal as 13 million acres have been certified. We are now proud to affix the FSC logo on Tembec products coming from this forest and other FSC-certified forests across Canada, showing our commitment to the health and survival of wildlife and the forest.”
Tembec has now achieved FSC certification for 13 million acres of forest land in the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. The range of FSC-certified products offered by the Company is continually increasing and now includes lumber, hardwood flooring, newsprint, paperboard, Northern bleached softwood kraft pulp (NBSK pulp) and high yield pulp. The FSC label enables Tembec customers to choose forest products with the confidence that they are contributing to preserving the world’s forests.
Founded in 1993, the Forest Stewardship Council is an international non- governmental organization that has developed the only forestry certification system recognized worldwide by indigenous peoples, environmental groups, labour movements and industry. The certification system requires consultation with all other forest users and interested parties and ensures an independent assessment of a company’s forest management practices.